Council / Daggri’s drydock schedule adds further pressure on ferry service
THE URGENT need for a new relief ferry to keep Shetland’s inter-island ferry service operational during dry dock periods has become even more apparent after it emerged that Yell Sound may also have to revert to a single vessel service in March.
Earlier this week, the SIC announced reduced services on Bluemull Sound and Whalsay routes due to delays in getting the Geira back into service, while the Hendra is scheduled to go into drydock on 2 March.
With Yell Sound ferry Daggri also due to go into drydock on 2 March, questions have been asked as to why impending changes on the Yell route were not included in the latest advice to the travelling public.
A spokesperson for Shetland Islands Council said the ferries department was still working on alternative arrangement and was not ready to make an announcement.
They said: “MV Daggri will be out of service for annual docking during March. “We are working on an alternative timetable for this period and will share that publicly soon.”
It comes as Whalsay Community Council described the ferries status quo as a “ticking time bomb” that was undermining the viability of island life.
Shetland Islands Council is in the process of commissioning an extra ferry to add resilience to the service by using a £10 million grant from the Scottish Government.
There is hope that the new vessel could be in service by 2027.
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